Immigrants take the U.S. oath of citizenship Monday in Irving, Texas. / LM Otero, AP

by The Editorial Board, USA TODAY

by The Editorial Board, USA TODAY

For years, efforts to fix the nation's broken immigration system have foundered on a central conundrum: How do you deal with the 11 million immigrants already in the United States illegally, without undermining the rule of law and creating a magnet for another 11 million?

The plan outlined Monday by eight senators, four Democrats and four Republicans, artfully finesses the question in a way that's likely to upset liberals and conservatives alike.

And therein lies its beauty.

The 11 million can stay, but only if they register with the government, pass a background check, and pay a fine and back taxes. They would then face a lengthy and arduous path to lawful permanent residency and eventually citizenship. To prevent the next 11 million from coming, the whole program would be contingent on success in securing the borders and making sure that visitors don't overstay their visas.

For conservatives, this plan smacks of amnesty, the issue that killed the last major effort to fix the immigration system, in 2007. But the 2012 election, in which President Obama won more than 70% of the Latino vote, has muted the harsh Republican rhetoric that alienated Hispanics. It's apparent that the 11 million aren't going to be deported or, as GOP candidate Mitt Romney put it, "self-deport." Recognizing this de facto amnesty, many Republicans are now open to an effort to give them some sort of legal status.

For liberals, the Senate group's path to citizenship is too long and too onerous. Well, too bad. There should be some cost to breaking the law.

Nor is the quick-citizenship maneuver entirely selfless. Many Democrats sense that newly minted voters would reward them for an aggressive push. The main impact of that approach would be to torpedo the emerging political consensus.

Providing a relatively speedy path to citizenship, one that could take less than a decade, would be unfair to the many immigrants trying to come to the United States lawfully. The wait for some categories of family sponsored immigration can be 10 years to 12 years for a green card, which conveys permanent legal residency, with citizenship available after five more years.

The Senate framework, to be joined by a plan Obama offers today in Las Vegas, leaves a number of thorny questions unanswered. How exactly would back taxes be assessed and collected? And at what point would people be allowed to participate in government benefit programs such as food stamps or Medicare?

Granting legal status to people residing in the shadows can be justified by the benefits it would bring. It would integrate what has become a huge underground economy into the labor market and mainstream U.S. society. But it should not be used as a rationale for a speedy-citizenship campaign for people who came illegally or overstayed their visas. That would be a huge slap in the face to those who played by the rules.